Overwatch streamer Flats may have won his category at The Streamer Awards, but his victory has not gone without a bitter aftertaste. In a recent post-show stream, Flats detailed how he and other nominees were skipped for red carpet interviews, all while non-nominated creators with larger followings received extended coverage.
As is the case every year, Streamer Awards drama has flown thick and fast. Coverage of the event has been laser-focused on the endless interpersonal squabbles that take place in the industry—a fact that’s just as evident for nominees as it is for the viewing public, as Flats described in a recent stream.
Flats, one of the most decorated Overwatch streamers in the business (boasting not only some of the game’s highest viewer counts, but a rank among its top 500 Tank mains), described The Streamer Awards as “no longer about gaming as much anymore.” This comment came after a recounting of his experience at the event, where Flats experienced being sidelined on the red carpet.
The streamer described queueing for an official red carpet interview segment with fellow nominees bogur (also nominated for Best Marvel Rivals Streamer) and Eskay (nominated for Best Fighting Game Streamer), all three of whom were skipped, with production staff allegedly citing that they were “behind” on their schedule as the reason. Flats further alleged that a larger streamer, who wasn’t nominated for an award, went up for an interview without issue.
A bittersweet win
Flats acknowledged that, had he not won the award for Best Marvel Rivals Streamer that night, he’d have left feeling more “jaded.” He explained that “If I was in, like, bogur’s position, I feel like I would feel jaded, because you spend all this money to go, to be at the event, and you just kinda get, like, kicked to the side a little.”
The Overwatch streamer went on to pin the blame on a “management issue,” something many fans would be inclined to agree with. Major industry award shows like The Streamer Awards and The Game Awards draw more and more criticism as the years pass, with their management and operations becoming more entrenched in what fans perceive as an industry aristocracy.
It seems that, with these shows being bloated by sponsors, drama, and competing personalities, they’re destined to the same skepticism shows like The Oscars have seen in recent years.
